5. He was trained by a death match legend

Growing up in Pennsylvania, Adam Cole had no shortage of pro wrestling schools to choose from. However, he chose to attend the academy at Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), where he was trained by death match legend DJ Hyde.

Cole is certainly not someone anyone associates with death match wrestling, but he credits Hyde’s training with teaching him “how to be tough.” Besides, Hyde wasn’t the only person Cole trained under at CZW. He also learned from Jon Dahmer, Al Snow, and the legendary Les Thatcher.

4. Third time’s a charm

Cole’s goal has always been to sign with WWE. In fact, he attended two WWE tryouts before signing with the company in August 2017.

Adam Cole attended his first tryout in 2010, just two years into his training. The tryout took place at Afa the Wild Samoan’s school, and while Cole said it was a positive experience, he also concedes he wasn’t ready for the tryout at the time.

His second tryout happened three years later at the WWE Performance Center, after he’d already firmly established himself as a major player in Ring of Honor. Clearly he did something right, because he remained on WWE’s radar for years afterward.

Click next to read about Adam Cole’s favorite boss and his best friend who is also a WWE star.

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